IIT-Ropar to Organize 2nd G20 Education Working Group Meeting in Amritsar from March 15

The event, according to IIT-Ropar Director Rajeev Ahuja, will help ensure a roadmap for multi-partner collaborations to facilitate accessibility and provision of research materials, bridging the gap between industry and academia, and discovering and identifying relevant policies and practices for research and innovation.

"This would pave the way for long-term collaborations for equitable quality research in G20 member nations, all while adhering to the theme of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' - One Earth, One Family, One Future."

"Through this event, the government intends to strengthen ties with G20 member nations and respond collectively to the issues that each country faces in achieving sustainable development goals," he said. The discussions, according to Ahuja, will also focus on methods and tactics such as cooperative measures that could be undertaken or implemented to encourage collaboration in a variety of fields.

Representatives from international organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, the World Bank, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will also attend the meeting. "The event will highlight research and innovation as well as the impact of collaboration on the effectiveness of G20 member nations.

"The key sessions on research and innovation would help reduce inequalities within and between countries, innovations for sustainable agriculture for high yield and food waste, the role of academia in cheap and sustainable energy research and innovation, and innovations for ecologically aware and accountable industrialization," a senior Ministry of Education official said.

"With a focus on women and socially and economically disadvantaged groups, the discussion would also aid in strategizing methods to enlarge collaboration among G20 member nations to enhance research, open access, and innovation promotion, as well as to reduce barriers to research mentoring and cross-institutional collaboration, among other things," the official added.

The G20 Education Working Group held its first meeting earlier this year in Chennai. The education group would hold three additional meetings before reaching a broad consensus in June of this year.